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Bakk: 'Other things to do' than gay marriage
Senate Majority Leader-designate Tom Bakk isn’t too keen on pushing a gay marriage bill through the Legislature this session.In Don Davis’s Forum papers story, Bakk says: “ ‘We are getting some calls...
View ArticleMN Blog Cabin Roundup, 11/30
Want money out of campaigns? Implement mandatory votingfrom Cows and Graveyards by Steven MaloneyIf we combined mandatory voting and fair districts, money ability to buy influence in politics on the...
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Twins' Span-for-Meyer trade reasonable first step in climbing out of deep hole
Reports of the Nationals trying to get Denard Span from the Twins started in mid-2011. Back then, the rumored deal involved one of Washington's late-inning relievers, either Drew Storen or Tyler...
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Venture Academy: toward a whole new level of learning
These days, kids are living in two different worlds, says Jon Bacal. At home, they use devices like smartphones and iPads to communicate with friends, play games, and research homework answers. But at...
View ArticleWhat would stop Blaine Airport from becoming another Midway?
Earlier this fall, the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) hosted its annual "Community Informational Meeting" regarding the Anoka County-Blaine Airport (ANE) at Blaine City Hall.Those attending...
View ArticleGov. Dayton crisscrosses the country for big meetings
Gov. Mark Dayton will be on both coasts this week for governor meetings, including a big one Tuesday with President Obama.On Monday he's flying to California for the Democratic Governors Association's...
View ArticleDoes off-label prescribing of high-risk drugs contribute to soldiers' suicides?
As has been widely reported, the suicide rate among both active-duty military personnel and military veterans has hit record highs this year.Here are some of the troubling statistics from a recent...
View ArticleStudy shows that governors don't affect how their states vote in presidential...
Two years ago, Eric Ostermeier at the Smart Politics blog- challenged what he called a "media myth" that the loss of Democratic governorships in 2010 would hurt Obama's reelection bid.On Monday, he...
View ArticleTroubling questions about Obama’s drone warfare
My last post argued that, in the wake of his election victory and on the eve of his second term, President Obama stands at what could be his “Truman moment” as a “post war” president. More than a...
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Won’t you take me to … Dinkytown
Well, I talk about it, talk about it.Dinkytown, immortalized in the eponymous 1980 Lipps Inc. hit song, is the neighborhood just north of the University of Minnesota.Why is it called Dinkytown?...
View Article$11 million deal for 2,000 acres along Mississippi to protect habitat
An $11 million deal to buy and conserve 2,000 acres of land along the Mississippi River near Brainerd has been completed.The Trust for Public Land is using $11 million in Legacy Funds to buy the land...
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General Mills to hype Lucky Charms for 'nostalgic' adults
Well, we did get weirdly emotional about losing Twinkies … Janet Moore of the Strib says: “AdAge magazine is reporting that Lucky Charms cereal, a favorite of children for most of its 48-year history,...
View ArticleFoundation gives St. Paul police $63K for youth activities, SWAT team vests
The St. Paul Police Department is getting some financial aid from the St. Paul Police Foundation, to the tune of $62,953.The St. Paul City Council will accept the donation this week from the...
View ArticleMN Orchestra board member: We seek our musicians' partnership to build a...
I welcome the opportunity to respond to Paula and Cy DeCosse’s recent questions to Minnesota Orchestra board and management. As a member of the orchestra’s board— which bears a fiduciary responsibility...
View ArticleMayo technique for prostate testing getting attention
Lorna Benson of MPR has a story saying: “[A] new Mayo Clinic scanning technique that helps doctors detect recurring prostate cancers months or even years earlier than before is receiving considerable...
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Taylor Swift, Walgreens, and me
“You’ve got quite a Taylor Swift display there,” I said to the Buddy Holly-bespectacled clerk behind the counter at my neighborhood Walgreens the other night.“It could be worse,” he said.I guess. There...
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December 1962: Oil spills into the Mississippi, triggering ecological disaster
Courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society"Volunteers Answer 'Bird' Call," image from the Hastings Gazette Weekly, April 11, 1963, p. 3.In 1962 and 1963, industrial accidents spilled 3.5 million...
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Pinchas Zukerman: 'Let’s bring music back to Minnesota!'
Led by their former music director Pinchas Zukerman, who worked for free, the locked-out musicians of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra played splendidly on Sunday afternoon, giving an all-Mozart concert...
View ArticleAbout to run aground on EPA rules, coal-fired ferry seeks to rewrite the law
When is an earmark not really an earmark?A fresh bit of Congressional finagling raises that question in regard to yet another special favor for the coal-burning, ash-dumping carferry S.S. Badger –...
View ArticleThe pope joins the twitterverse as @pontifex
After centuries of issuing theology-heavy treatises and ponderous papal bulls, the Vatican on Monday announced that the pope was embracing the most succinct of communications – Twitter.Benedict XVI is...
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